Patentable/Patents/US-8488039
US-8488039

Digital image processing apparatus capable of displaying color distribution chart and method of operating the same

PublishedJuly 16, 2013
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

A digital image processing apparatus capable of displaying a color distribution chart and a method of operating the same is provided. The digital image processing apparatus includes a digital signal processing unit which detects digital color signals from an image input via an image photographing unit and calculates a color distribution chart that indicates a proportion of the detected color signals in the image. The apparatus and method can calculate and display a color distribution chart of a displayed image and change colors of the image into optimized colors.

Patent Claims
16 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.

Claim 1

Original Legal Text

1. A digital image processing apparatus comprising a digital signal processing unit that at least detects digital color signals in an image input via an image photographing unit and calculates a color distribution chart for the image that represents a statistical distribution of the digital color signals across the entire image, wherein the digital signal processing unit comprises: a memory for storing a color information table; a search portion to obtain color information corresponding to the digital color signals in the image; a color distribution chart calculation portion for calculating the color distribution chart for the image based on the obtained color information and an optimized color arrangement distribution chart for the image based on optimized color arrangement information corresponding to the digital color signals from a color distribution information table that contains color distributions based on images predefined as having desirable color distributions in terms of similarity, familiarity, unambiguity, contrast, and order; and a display unit to display the image, wherein the digital signal processing unit overlays the calculated color distribution chart and the optimized color arrangement distribution chart on the displayed image.

Plain English Translation

A digital image processing apparatus analyzes an image from a camera to display color information. It includes a digital signal processing unit that detects digital color signals in the image and calculates a color distribution chart showing the proportion of each color. The processing unit uses a memory storing a color information table to find color information for each digital color signal. It also calculates an "optimized color arrangement distribution chart" based on a color distribution information table of pre-defined, desirable images ranked by criteria like similarity, familiarity, and contrast. Finally, a display unit overlays the calculated color distribution chart and the optimized chart on the original image.

Claim 2

Original Legal Text

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the color distribution chart calculation portion calculates the color distribution chart to represent pixel-unit color signals.

Plain English Translation

The digital image processing apparatus, as described previously where it analyzes an image from a camera and displays color information by detecting color signals, calculating color distributions, and overlaying optimized color arrangements, calculates the color distribution chart based on individual pixel colors, providing a fine-grained color analysis of the image. Thus, each pixel's color contributes to the overall color distribution chart.

Claim 3

Original Legal Text

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the digital signal processing unit changes the colors of the entire image into the optimized color distribution chart by user determination, the user determination being made after the display of the optimized color distribution chart.

Plain English Translation

The digital image processing apparatus described earlier, which analyzes images and overlays optimized color distributions, allows a user to change the colors of the entire image to match the optimized color distribution chart. After the optimized color distribution chart is displayed, the user can decide to apply the optimized colors to the original image.

Claim 4

Original Legal Text

4. A digital image processing apparatus comprising a digital signal processing unit that at least: converts an image input via an image photographing unit into digital color signals; obtains color information corresponding to the digital color signals from a color information table stored in a memory; calculates a color distribution chart that represents a statistical distribution of the digital color signals in the image based on the obtained color information; obtains optimized color arrangement information corresponding to the digital color signals from a color distribution information table stored in the memory that contains color distributions based on images predefined as having desirable color distributions in terms of similarity, familiarity, unambiguity, contrast, and order; obtains color arrangement information that is the most similar to the calculated color distribution chart from the obtained optimized color arrangement information; and changes colors of the image according to the color arrangement information.

Plain English Translation

A digital image processing apparatus captures an image from a camera and converts it into digital color signals. It then references a color information table in memory to obtain color information for these signals. A color distribution chart, representing the statistical distribution of colors in the image, is calculated. The system also accesses a color distribution information table (containing color distributions from desirable images rated by similarity, familiarity, etc.) to obtain optimized color arrangements for those colors. Finally, it identifies the optimized color arrangement closest to the calculated color distribution chart and adjusts the image colors accordingly.

Claim 5

Original Legal Text

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the digital signal processing unit comprises: the memory; a search portion for obtaining the color information corresponding to the digital color signals of the image from the color information table stored in the memory and obtaining the optimized color arrangement information corresponding to the digital color signals of the image from the color distribution information table stored in the memory; a color distribution chart calculation portion for calculating the color distribution chart of a main color signal and sub-color signals of the image based on the obtained color information and calculating the optimized color distribution chart of the main color signal and the sub-color signals of the image based on the obtained optimized color information; and a color change unit for changing the colors of the image into optimized colors in response to a selection signal.

Plain English Translation

This digital image processing apparatus builds upon the previous description, which captures an image, converts it to digital color signals, calculates color distributions using color information and optimized arrangements from memory. It uses a memory, a search portion that retrieves color information and optimized arrangement information from color information and color distribution information tables, a color distribution chart calculation portion that computes the distribution charts for both main and sub-colors based on the color and optimized arrangement information. A color change unit modifies the original image colors according to a selection signal.

Claim 6

Original Legal Text

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the color distribution chart calculation portion calculates the color distribution chart of pixel-unit color signals of the entire image.

Plain English Translation

The digital image processing apparatus, previously described where it analyzes image colors, calculates distributions of main and sub-colors, and optimizes the colors, calculates the color distribution chart using the color signals of each individual pixel in the entire image. This creates a detailed color analysis based on every pixel.

Claim 7

Original Legal Text

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising a display unit to display the image, wherein the color distribution chart calculation portion overlays the color distribution chart and the optimized color distribution chart at the same time on an arbitrary portion of the displayed image.

Plain English Translation

The digital image processing apparatus, previously described for image color analysis, distribution calculation and optimization, includes a display unit to show the image. The color distribution chart calculation portion overlays both the original color distribution chart and the optimized color distribution chart simultaneously on a chosen portion of the displayed image.

Claim 8

Original Legal Text

8. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein: similarity is a harmony of analogous colors; familiarity is a harmony of colors with common properties and attributes; unambiguity is a clear classification of colors; contrast is opposite or complementary colors; and order is colors organized concretely and systematically.

Plain English Translation

In the context of the previously described digital image processing apparatus that relies on "desirable color distributions", the criteria for desirability are defined as follows: "similarity" means a harmony of analogous colors; "familiarity" means a harmony of colors with common properties; "unambiguity" means a clear classification of colors; "contrast" represents opposite or complementary colors; and "order" refers to colors organized concretely and systematically.

Claim 9

Original Legal Text

9. A method of operating a digital image processing apparatus storing a color information table, the method comprising: obtaining color information corresponding to the pixels of an image input via an image photographing unit; calculating a color distribution chart for the image based on the obtained color information, the color distribution chart representing a statistical distribution of a main color signal and sub-color signals of the image; calculating an optimized color arrangement distribution chart for the image based on optimized color arrangement information corresponding to the digital color signals from a color distribution information table that contains color distributions based on images predefined as having desirable color distributions in terms of similarity, familiarity, unambiguity, contrast, and order; and overlaying the calculated color distribution chart and the optimized color arrangement distribution chart on a displayed image on a display unit.

Plain English Translation

A method for operating a digital image processing apparatus with a color information table involves these steps: First, obtain color information for each pixel of an image captured by a camera. Second, calculate a color distribution chart representing the statistical distribution of main and sub-colors in the image. Third, calculate an optimized color arrangement distribution chart based on a color distribution information table (images predefined as desirable based on similarity, familiarity, etc.). Finally, overlay the calculated color distribution chart and the optimized color arrangement distribution chart on the displayed image.

Claim 10

Original Legal Text

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the calculating of the color distribution chart comprises calculating a color distribution chart of pixel-unit color signals of the entire image.

Plain English Translation

The image processing method described previously where color information is obtained, color distributions are calculated and optimized, and charts are overlaid, calculates the color distribution chart using the color signals from each individual pixel in the entire image to provide fine-grained color analysis.

Claim 11

Original Legal Text

11. A method of operating a digital image processing apparatus, the method comprising: calculating a color distribution chart of an image input via an image photographing unit, the color distribution chart representing a statistical distribution of colors of the image; obtaining color information corresponding to the colors of the image from a color information table; obtaining optimized color arrangement information that substantially corresponds to the color distribution chart from a color arrangement information table that contains color distributions based on images predefined as having desirable color distributions in terms of similarity, familiarity, unambiguity, contrast, and order; calculating an optimized color distribution chart of the image based on the obtained optimized color arrangement information; and changing the colors of the image into optimized colors based on the obtained optimized color arrangement information in response to a selection signal.

Plain English Translation

A method of operating a digital image processing apparatus involves these steps: calculate a color distribution chart of an image received from a camera, where the chart represents the statistical color distribution; retrieve color information corresponding to the image colors from a color information table; retrieve optimized color arrangement information substantially corresponding to the color distribution chart from a color arrangement information table (based on desirable images by similarity, familiarity, etc.); calculate an optimized color distribution chart based on this arrangement information; and finally, change the image colors based on the optimized information in response to a selection signal.

Claim 12

Original Legal Text

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the color distribution chart is calculated for pixel-unit color signals of the entire image.

Plain English Translation

The image processing method, previously described for capturing an image, calculating and optimizing color distributions, and changing image colors, performs the calculation of the color distribution chart using the color signals of each pixel in the entire image, allowing detailed analysis.

Claim 13

Original Legal Text

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the calculated color distribution chart or the calculated optimized color distribution chart is displayed on an arbitrary region of the image.

Plain English Translation

The image processing method, described previously for color distribution analysis and optimization, displays either the calculated original color distribution chart or the calculated optimized color distribution chart (or both) on a selectable region of the image.

Claim 14

Original Legal Text

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the digital image processing apparatus comprises a memory to store the color information table and the optimized color arrangement information table for arbitrary colors.

Plain English Translation

In the context of the image processing method which analyzes and optimizes image colors, the digital image processing apparatus includes a memory that stores the color information table and the optimized color arrangement information table for a diverse range of arbitrary colors.

Claim 15

Original Legal Text

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the calculating of the color distribution chart of the image comprises calculating a color distribution chart of a main color signal and sub-color signals of the image based on the obtained color information.

Plain English Translation

The image processing method, described previously for analyzing and optimizing colors, calculates the color distribution chart of the image by calculating the chart for a main color signal and its related sub-color signals based on the obtained color information.

Claim 16

Original Legal Text

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the calculating of the optimized color distribution chart of the image comprises calculating an optimized color distribution chart of the main color signal and the sub-color signals of the image based on the optimized color arrangement information.

Plain English Translation

In the image processing method which optimizes image colors and relies on optimized color arrangement information, the optimized color distribution chart is calculated by specifically focusing on the main color signal and its sub-color signals, based on the optimized color arrangement information.

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Patent Metadata

Filing Date

September 11, 2008

Publication Date

July 16, 2013

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